The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Foundations Ii
Foundations II is a special education school serving students in grades five through ten, located in Monticello, Minnesota. It is one of the programs operated by the Sherburne and Northern Wright Special Education Cooperative, a joint-powers entity serving the Becker, Big Lake, and Monticello school districts. This cooperative was restructured under a revised agreement effective July 2021, which consolidated governance of all special education operations, services, and programs across the three member districts under a single director and governing board. For families of students already placed in or evaluating this program, that restructuring means a standardized administrative framework across the participating districts.
The school itself is small. Its enrollment is measured in single digits, serving students in grades six through eight during the period for which data is available, with the capacity to serve grades five through ten. The student body is predominantly white, with a notable share identifying as two or more races. Because this is a special education school serving a specific population, the usual academic performance metrics require careful framing. The school did report state assessment results for math and reading in grades seven and eight, and those results show a proficiency rate of zero percent. The science assessment data for grade eight was suppressed due to a very small number of test-takers. A parent considering this placement should understand that these test results reflect a student population that has been identified for specialized special education services, often with significant disabilities, and that the school’s mission is not general academic proficiency as measured by statewide standardized tests but rather the delivery of individualized instruction and therapeutic supports within a highly structured environment. The school’s performance relative to other districts in Wright County falls in the bottom quartile on the proficiency index, but that comparison has limited meaning when the entity itself is a special-purpose school rather than a general-education site.
There is no graduation rate reported, which is typical for a school that serves middle grades and does not offer a full high school diploma program. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing were not available in the dataset used for this profile. Information about course access, such as advanced coursework or career and technical education pathways, was also absent. That information is best obtained directly from the cooperative or the student’s individualized education program (IEP) team.
Monticello itself is a growing community along the Mississippi River and the Interstate 94 corridor, about 40 miles northwest of Minneapolis. It has seen substantial retail, industrial, and residential development in recent years, including a new high school campus and a highway interchange that shaped where development is oriented. The town maintains a large network of city parks and trails, and civic anchors include a downtown community center and arena. Major employers include Xcel Energy’s nuclear generating plant, the Monticello school district, CentraCare Medical Center, and several large retailers. The housing market, based on the data available, shows home values near the state median and rental prices with modest annual increases.
For a family evaluating Foundations II, the central context is that this is a specialized program, not a neighborhood school. The relevant comparison is not against general-education schools in Wright County, but against other special education placements and programs within and beyond the cooperative. The school is designed for students whose IEPs require a more intensive, self-contained setting than a typical school’s special education department can provide. The academic data, taken at face value, shows very low proficiency, but that is expected given the population served. A parent’s most productive next step would be a direct conversation with the cooperative’s special education director or the student’s current IEP team about whether this program matches the student’s specific needs, what therapeutic and behavioral supports are in place, and what the transition plan looks like for students beyond grade ten.
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